extraordinary, steely-fingered brilliance of Zimerman's playing . . . I've rarely heard it played more affectingly.

Record Review /
Ian Hewett,
Times/Eye / 14. February 2004

Fabulous from the off, the new Rachmaninov CD form Krystian Zimerman is above the most charismatic concerto recordings of the past 20 years, with a performance of the First that's strong on impulse, virtuosity and finesse and features watertight dialogue with the Boston Symphony under Seiji Ozawa. The nimbleness of Zimerman's fingerwork defies belief, while his split-second reflexes will keep you on the edge of your seat . . .

Record Review /
Rob Cowan,
Independent (London) / 16. February 2004

5 stars . . . New releases from Krystian Zimerman are special, not just because they are such rare events, and seemingly getting rarer, but because no pianist alive today lavishes more care and attention to detail on every performance he gives . . . both performances immediately promote Zimerman to the top rank of Rachmaninov interpreters on record, alongside Horowitz, Richter, Argerich and Pletnev . . . A fabulous disc.

. . . no pianist alive today lavishes more care and attention to detail on every performance he gives . . . both performances immediately promote Zimerman to the top rank of Rachmaninov interpreters on record . . . A fabulous disc.

Zimerman is one of the few players today with the technical bravura and musical taste to make something fresh . . . With Ozawa and the Boston SO in superb form, no lover of these works should forgo the pleasures of Zimerman in such much-played music.

Record Review /
The Sunday Times (London) / 22. February 2004

[Krystian Zimerman] has gained almost mystic status as one of the world's greatest living pianists, and these performances show why. He plays with passion and brilliance, offering a bitingly clear touch but deploying his virtuosity to the right ends. He really does make one listen with fresh ears to this familiar music . . . I'd always be content with Zimerman in anything, and here's one instance when, however many recordings one already has of these works, this one will never be an irrelevant burden on the shelves.

Record Review /
Stephen Pettitt,
International Record Review (London) / 01. March 2004

Rachmaninov's work takes on a violent emotional intensity not apparent in other interpretations . . . Zimerman engages it in a life and death struggle - and at a faster tempo.

Record Review /
Forbes / 01. March 2004

Zimerman has taken nearly three decades to honour his 1976 DG contract to record Rachmaninov and, boy, it was worth the wait . . . His panache, dexterity and sheer good taste turn this into a thrilling ride . . . More than a match for any of the great recordings.

Record Review /
Anthony Holden,
Observer (London) / 14. March 2004

Krystian Zimerman's legendary quest for perfection leads him, in the First Concerto for example, to define a great deal of pianistic detail that sometimes goes unnoticed. The rapid passage-work and all those inner parts in the piano writing are articulated with strong, lithe fingers, while Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra complement the piano textures with comparable brilliance and an apt focus on indivudal instrumental timbres.

CD of the Month:Any new recording by Krystian Zimerman is an event and this disc is no exception . . . There are few pianists today who manage to combine Zimerman's mystique - created largely by his relative scarcity on the concert platform - with such a poetic naturalness in performance. You get the impression that nothing would induce him to give a performance of anything unless it has been scrupulously studied and absorbed so that every last detail has been considered and thought about. His year-long devotion to the Chopin concertos some years ago, for which he even founded a special orchestra, bears witness to that intensity of vision. This disc is as perfect an example as is possible of why great music still needs new recordings . . . A year without a recording by the vital, ever-youthful Krystian Zimerman is a year lost . . . the verve and poetry of these performances somehow forbid comparison, even at the most exalted level.

Record Review /
Bryce Morrison,
Gramophone (London) / 01. April 2004

Krystian Zimerman is a perfectionist who thinks twice before making a discographical move. Thus it comes as no surprise that he imbues the piano parts of Rachmaninov's first two concertos with remarkable technical refinement and finesse . . . there's no denying the care and formidable musicianship that distinguishes Zimerman and Ozawa's masterful teamwork, nor DG's stunning sonics.

Disc of the Month . . . Krystian Zimerman, a pianist of fearsome technique, stupendous emotional range and a well-known stickler for precision . . . Zimerman's interpretation gives a fresh lift to a well-worn concerto . . . The Boston Symphony proves a superb accompanying force with great sensitivity and a flexibility to follow exactly what the soloist has up his sleeve. And credit has to be given to the sound engineers who allow the orchestra to play with unbridled power without inhibiting the piano.

Record Review /
Oliver Condy,
Classic FM (London) / 01. April 2004

Mr. Zimerman captures both the youthful sweep and the mature intricacy in a riveting performance. From the opening outburst of vehement double octaves coursing down the keyboard, his playing is the more ferocious for its commanding control . . . Mr. Zimerman's bracing performance is a revelation . . . The heaving sweep of Mr. Zimerman's playing when the main theme finally breaks loose is awesome. And the wonders of the performance continue: the melancholic intimacy of the slow movement; the uncanny clarity of the crackling opening to the finale, which subsides so naturally to make way for the favorite theme of every Rachmaninov lover, played with unmannered elegance. Dynamic chemistry between performers is hard to account for, but Mr. Zimerman and Mr. Ozawa clearly have it.

Record Review /
ANTHONY TOMMASINI,
The New York Times / 11. April 2004

Vital and dramatic performance by Zimerman . . . A thoughtful, fastidious artist, Zimerman illuminates details with alluring tonal glitter. With his poetic playing and the sensitive solo flute and clarinet, the dreamy slow movement of No. 2 is exceptionally beautiful.

Record Review /
Peter Knapp,
The Patriot Ledger / 19. April 2004

. . . the opening of the First Concerto is among the most exciting in the literature, and Zimerman does not disappoint. In the scintillating final movement with its big cadenza his playing is quite simply stunning. He displays more than mere self-congratulatory bravura, managing to temper Rachmaninov's youthful note-spinning with an enquiring, full-toned lyricism . . . Zimerman is always a fascinating pianist to listen to and this disc is recommended, especially for the First Concerto -- it's a humdinger!

Record Review /
Leandro Ferraccioli,
Piano (London) / 01. June 2004

You'll struggle to find a better recording of the 2004 Hall of Fame winner. This was our April Disc of the Month and we raved about Zimerman's virtuosity and ability to give each phrase meaning and purpose.

Record Review /
Classic FM (London) / 01. June 2004

Zimerman is a brilliant if erratic soloist with a tendency to introspection and detail . . . It is quite simply very fine Rachmaninoff playing, from a vantage point that lies outside the mainstream but remains perfectly credible. The performances is chiefly remarkable for its vast resources of color and its exceptional concern for inner voicing. I've rarely heard elsewhere such detail in the initial statement of the first theme from the second concerto's finale, for instance . . . Engineering is good, with a lively hall ambiance. The liner notes are decent . . . it is intelligent and distinctive music-making that works brilliantly. Definitely recommended.

. . . the verve and poetry of these performances somehow forbid comparison, even at the most exalted level . . . had Rachmaninov heard Zimerman he might have been envious. Zimerman opens in a blaze of rhetorical glory before skittering through the first Vivace with the sort of winged brilliance that will reduce lesser pianists to despair. The cadenza is overwhelming, and at 4'36" in the central Andante's starry ascent his rubato tugs painfully at the heartstrings. In the finale, despite a dizzying tempo, every one of the teeming notes is pinpointed with shining clarity. The Second Concerto also burns and coruscates in all its first heat . . . Zimerman inflects one familiar theme after another with a yearning, bittersweet intensity . . . Every page is alive with a sense of wonder at Rachmaninov's genius. Seiji Ozawa and the Boston orchestra are ideal partners, and DG's sound and balance are fully worthy of this memorable release.